1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to firearms and biometric systems, and more particularly to a firearm safety system that locks and prevents the operation of a firearm without valid biometric credentials. The present disclosure also relates to firearm locks that prevent the disengagement of safeties, though with a key-based override.
2. Related Art
Firearms are valuable tools that are commonly utilized for many legitimate purposes by civilians, military, and police alike. Chief among these purposes is personal defense, as firearms greatly level the field and equalize inherent power imbalances typical in encounters between criminal and potential victims. With the simple press of the trigger, for example, a weaker individual can thwart a much stronger, physically imposing criminal. Oftentimes, the mere presentation of the firearm is all that is necessary to slop the threat. According to some studies, it has been estimated that there are over 2.5 million defensive uses of firearms per year. These include incidents where no shots were fired. Police regularly deploy firearms to save the lives of others, as do the military to defend and ensure the safety the nation.
Besides defensive purposes, many firearms are kept for recreational and sporting purposes. Learning and practicing marksmanship, at times in informal ways (plinking) is regarded as somewhat of a national pastime. Furthermore, sanctioned competitive shooting events that emphasize speed, movement and marksmanship, going beyond the experience possible with static shooting ranges, attract many participants at the local, regional, and national levels. More traditional uses of firearms for hunting various game animals for sport and sustenance continue to be popular, and are an important aspect of implementing conservation policies. In addition to marksmanship, hunting is appreciated for the valuable outdoor survival skills it teaches, and for fostering an attitude of self-sufficiency and self-reliance.
Ownership of firearms and participation in activities that involve firearms are deeply ingrained in the culture of the United States. Firearms have played a crucial role in many significant points throughout history from its founding to the present day, and are deserving of its venerated status in the country's heritage. With recent judicial decisions affirming an individual's right to keep and bear arms under the Constitution, in particular for purposes of self-defense, firearm ownership is likely to remain widespread. By some estimates, over 355 million guns are currently owned in the country, with 70 million being handguns. Across 70,000 licensed dealers nationwide, there are estimated to be over 2 million new handgun sales yearly.
As with any tool with destructive capabilities, there is a potential for abuse and misuse. Because of its lethality, the harm resulting from inappropriate uses of firearms are compounded or exacerbated. While the number of improper uses is greatly outnumbered by legitimate incidents, improvements with respect to safety are continuously sought. Firearm safety is generally approached from multiple fronts that each attempts to meet a distinct objective, with some efforts being more effective in fighting perceived deficiencies than others.
Before purchase, Federal and State laws mandate criminal and mental health background checks to ensure that firearms do not fall into the hands of otherwise prohibited individuals. Advancements in computer and database technology have made instant background checks possible, though some jurisdictions nevertheless impose wafting periods, ostensibly for the purposes of allocating extra time to conduct further background cheeks and for the purchaser to “cool off” instead of committing a crime of passion. Along the same lines as these restrictions, there are various state storage and child safety lock laws that require adults to safeguard firearms from access and accidental discharge by children.
Additionally, certain classes of firearms and those having certain characteristics have been banned or are heavily regulated. For example, restrictions on weapons capable of fully automatic fire have long existed, and there have been renewed calls tor banning so-called semiautomatic “assault weapons” based on alleged military features such as pistol grips, flash suppressors, and the like. Still further, manufacturers are prohibited front selling handguns in some jurisdictions without meeting safety requirements such as loaded chamber indicators, magazine disconnects, and passing drop tests.
Possibly the most important effort to improve firearm safety, though often overlooked, is raising individual competency levels in weapon manipulation, marksmanship and threat assessment. Safety is contingent on each firearm owner's adherence to the principles thereof, and depends on proper education. Many training opportunities are offered for a wide range of skill levels, and are relatively well attended.
Despite these wide-ranging measures, many may still be apprehensive of firearm ownership, both personally and by others. For instance, spouses or other family members may feel uncomfortable with keeping a loaded firearm in the home, no matter how remote the possibility of accidental shootings under proper storage conditions. Indeed, there have been incidents of a child somehow gaining access to a firearm and accidentally discharging it, resulting in injuries to bystanders. Furthermore, there are also worries that a firearm carried on the person may get used by a perpetrator against the actual owner after being inadvertently let go during a physical altercation. Due to these concerns, ordinary law-abiding citizens may forego purchasing a firearm, and even when able to do so under local laws, not carry it while going about their daily lives.
The possibility of a firearm being forcibly taken from a legitimate or authorized user by a dangerous criminal is a concern even for professionals such as security personnel, law enforcement officers, and correction officers. Although legislated a “gun free zone,” educational institutions may be vulnerable to mass shooting attacks, necessitating armed guards. However, some parents may oppose this, citing the inherent dangers of firearms and the risk of it being taken from the guard to be used against students. Police officers are often required to use multi-level retention holsters that require the skillful manipulation of buttons and latches to release the firearm, and involve fine motor functions that may be difficult to perform under stress without substantial training. These additional retention mechanisms are necessary because officers typically come into class physical contact while making arrests, and bolstered weapons are often within an arm's reach of detainees. Indeed, there are numerous reported incidents where the law enforcement officer is shot with his or her own firearm. Correction officers are prohibited from carrying firearms into the detention facility, and must rely on less lethal weapons such as electronic stun guns and pepper spray in case prisoners overtake the officers.
Any safety or locking system incorporated into a firearm most be readily accessible when needed, while otherwise tendering it safe and inert. These objectives are seemingly exclusive of each other; safeties that can be readily disengaged tend to render the firearm unsafe overall for that very reason, while safeties and locks that robustly secure the firearm tend to be cumbersome and time-consuming to disengage. Conventional designs are inevitably a compromise that emphasizes accessibility over safety, or vice-versa.
Even those firearms that are relied upon for defensive purposes are commonly stored in safes. Depending upon the unlocking mechanism, it can take up to half a minute or more to open. Although keyed locks are quick to open, in order to ensure that no unauthorized individuals access its contents, the keys most be kept secure, thereby increasing the likelihood of loss or damage and being unable to access in critical moments. Combination locks do not require keys, but the entry of the combination via numeric keypads and dials can take a significant amount of time.
In addition to storing the firearm in a secure safe, there are additional measures that may be taken to decrease the likelihood of negligent discharges. These include separately locking the action with a cable lock device, keeping the firearm unloaded, with ammunition and ammunition feeding devices stored separately, removing and separately storing certain essential components of the firearm, and so forth.
All of these measures, including storage in a safe, unfortunately increase the length of time between detecting a threat and firing in self-defense. Considering the speed with which various crimes are carried out, the targeted victim is in a position of substantial disadvantage, particularly where the perpetrator has the advantage or benefit of the element of surprise.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a firearm locking system that does not compromise between safety and accessibility, and enables and encourages responsible ownership. There is also a need in the art for a safety system, that locks and prevents the operation of a firearm without valid biometric credentials, as well as a firearm lock that prevents the disengagement of existing safeties, among others.